🎯 The “Almost Setup” Problem — Why You Enter Trades That Aren’t Really There

🎯 The “Almost Setup” Problem — Why You Enter Trades That Aren’t Really There

You’re waiting for your setup.
It’s almost there — one candle away, one retest away, one confirmation away.
And your brain says:
“Close enough. Let’s take it.”
That’s the almost setup problem — entering trades that look similar to your rules… but aren’t your rules.
And those “almost” trades are often the cleanest losses.

⚡ What Really Happens

Your brain hates waiting.
It wants action, progress, movement.
So when the chart looks similar to your setup, it tricks you into believing it’s the same thing.

But “almost” is not “confirmed.”
“Close enough” is not “valid.”
You end up taking trades your system wasn’t designed for — and then blaming the market.

In reality, the only thing missing was patience.

💡 The Fix: Define the Non-Negotiables

Every great strategy has must-have conditions — not optional ones, not flexible ones.
Write down the exact rules your setup needs:

• Structure

• Trend direction

• Entry trigger

• Stop placement

• Confirmation signal

If even one is missing, the trade is not the setup.
No exceptions.

Ask yourself:

“Is this my setup… or is it my impatience?”

That question alone filters out half of the bad entries.

🔑 Practical Rule: The 90% Rule

If a setup is anything less than 90% complete, you do 0% action.
No entering early, no pre-emptions, no “I’ll adjust later.”
Your plan only works when you follow it fully — not almost.

🚀 Takeaway

“Almost” trades feel tempting but almost always fail.
The market rewards those who wait for clarity — not those who try to force it.
If it’s not your setup, it’s not your trade.

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